Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1887-06-03

lost. A slug of lead or a knife in the vi
tails would soon end the business for me-
GIN vain CROPPED about the cavern
searching right and left; there was no way
of getting out was Gagged like an ami
NAL and with my lamp drawing to a
close, the wick already leaping and sput-
tering in its last rays. A moment later,
crack! it was out. The darkness of Ere
bus reigned
''In the meantime I had noticed a sort
OF Granny or narrow break extending
along the base of the wall at the end Of
the cavern and I started in that direc-
ton, feeling along with my hands. Bijou
was there before mel
cit is useless, gentlemen, to describe to
you what 1 felt regarding this strange
and perilous adventure. 1t is always
painful to die at 25-and then, what q
death!
''Even my carbine remained upon the
path above me-instead of defending it
would expose me- My poor old mother!
pay by the driver of the Nyon diligence
just the evening before, and she had only
this pay to live upon. And Rosette, who
would come to the chalet of Trelasse the
following night to meet me-Rosette
whom [ loved, and who returned that
love!
s'Think of it, gentlemen, the cruelty of
this faie; and / had only been in that
devilish POST of Cure three months, all
told. But it is useless to speak of that,
or to tell you of the fears, the regrets and
memories that threw me into q sort of
torpor. was henS,ambed, stupefed, and
at last fell asleep.
s'Suddenly L awoke with start. I had
heard a voice that to me had the sound of
hell. 1t was the voice of Petit Francois
speaking to his brothers
THE spy is down there, of course, ,
said he; 'butno matter; in any case we
must try the fire, and smoke him out.
Tune up the violinsp Then all was
silence!
ga man in the hour of approaching
death has such need of tenderness and af-
lection that 1 wished even to embrace for
the last time my little Bijou; but where
was he? 1 felt all around me, called him
softly; he was gone-my only friend had
Disappeared!
''The silence continued perhaps for half
an hour. Mechanically grasping the
handle of my sword, I waited in the dark
ness, determined to sell my life as dearly
as possible in case they should uneXpect-
edly invade the cavern by an entrance
known only to themselves.
''See my hair, gentlemen; white as the
driven snow, and I am not yet 40 years Of
age!- 1t comes from that awful expert
ence. God keep you from suffering the
ikei
''But all at once,'' the gendarme con-
tinued, ''the place was filed with flash
of light-Petit Francois and his brothers
I,
smoking me out! To leave my hiding
place behind the bales of merchandise and
endeavor to eXtinguish the brands would
only be presenting myself as target for
their revolvers. On the other hand, the
acrid smoke of the burning boughs filled
my throat and stopped my breathing. My
ears already rung and roared with the
noise of a thousand devils.
cat last 1 could stand it no longer, and
cried for mercy.
" DO not burn me, Petit Francois
begged; do not burn me, for 1 surrender.
Kill me afterward if you please, but air
for the love of God, give me air!
"NThen it is you, Abram,' he replied;
you, the spy! So much the better. I
long ago reserved you for morsel for the
dogs. But, draw him up, boys; draw him
to the top. l want to see the grimaces
he'll make when we hang him to the
branches Let down a rope; he'll cling
to it fast enough. And be sure,' he
added, in a lower tone of voice, that no
one else is there
GA moment later the rope descended,
and, like the drowning man who clings to
a straw, 1 was not long in Selling and
lashing myself to it, for between two
deaths one is certain to choose that which
is furthest off. Pull up!' cried Petit
Francois, but scarcely had I reached the
level of the path when he rushed upon
me, upset me and bound me hand and
foot, and with those never to be loosened
knots of the contrabandists.
Now, children said he, we must
decamp from here and as quickly as pos
sible. Recover the opening with pine
boughs and snow, and then, Monsieur
Abra1n, we will take you for a prone
nade.'
"The entrance to the cavern again con-
cealed, Petit Francois slackened the cords
which bound my feet enough for me to
walk, hung upon my back and neck a
bundle of merchandise and ordered me to
fall in line and carry like beast of bur-
den. All, how those scoundrels laughed
and jeered as they prodded me along with
the ends of their carbines! You may not
think it from the position was in, but I
began to have little hope. There was a
chance, you sea- slight one, it is true
that some of my colleagues would be on
sentry at narrow defile not far from the
hollow of the Crouaz, where there was a
sort of breach in the wall for conceal
ment.
''The contrabandists evidently had the
same reflection, for they turned to the
right and continued the ascent by more
circuitous passage, but which would bring
us in rear of any one on guard at that
point. 1t was now in the neighborhood
of 3 o'clock. We walked for an hour
longer, when Petit Francois called halt,
and, taking the package I had carried
since we left the hollow, he concealedit in
crevice of the rocks which overhung the
side
flake look at your gibbet, Abram, ,
he cried, with a hooking laugh. You
cannot say that have chosen it bad]y;'
| and he pointed toward a monster pine
tree occupying the center of the clearing,
whose branches, thick as ordinary tree
| trunks, extended from the sides like the
arms of huge candelabra
"'An summer long the tourists of the
mountains will come to call upon you as
| you came to call upon me-for which, my
pretty blackbird, approaching me with
| curses, you will hang up there
eff you had seen the face of that mon
| ster, his lips trembling with rage, his
uanas as Dig as pattIedores, ana covered
with rough and hairy skin, you would
have known at once that prayers and ap-
peals to his mercy would simply have been
time thrown away. . 1t only remained for
HE to die, and to die bravely for the honor
OF my division:
"'Put up the rope, Louis, Francois
called to his brother; tie it to one of the
lower branches; while waiting we will
amuse ourselves with the gentleman who
explores so WELL
"The amusement of Petit Francois con-
sisted in binding me securely to the trunk
of a tree, after which he took off his coat,
rolled W, his sleeves, and arranging him
self some twenty PAGES in front of me,
went to work to make target of me, the
missiles used being heavy, jagged stones
which his brother collected for him be-
meath the cliffs. The first stone missed
me, but gradually, as Francois warmed to
his work and aimed with greater precision,
| they began to tell. One broke my wrist
another buried itself in my ribs; the third
crushed my nose, knocked out my teeth